This invention relates generally to firearms, and more specifically to a method and device for checkering the grips of pistols.
Wooden pistol grips, gunstocks and the like have in the past been checkered to provide both an enhanced grip by the shooter and a decorative appearance. Typically, such checkering is accomplished by hand carving wood or hand filing metal. Although this may rise to the level of an art form by a skilled artisan, it is quite time consuming and costly. Various devices have been provided to automate this process for production purposes. Such automated devices are provided for rifle and shotgun stocks which are wooden.
Various patents show such checkering devices, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,543,405 and 2,850,060 showing various long stock checkering by cutters. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,882,911, 3,907,015 and 3,926,232, each to Pachmayr et al. disclose a vibratory approach to compress checkering into a wooden stock.
The present invention provides an improved method and device for checkering pistol grips with precision and at a relatively low cost. The metal pistol grip frame itself is checkered, rather than a wooden stock or wooden grips screwed to the frame. Furthermore, the checkering is unusual in that it is mill cut, rather than being cast, or knurled, or other such technique. Accordingly, the checkering may be especially deep and sharply cut for exceptional gripping characteristics. The invention provides for superior results in terms of quality control and cost over prior manual piston grip checkering techniques.